


The Spirit

by NervousAliceCurious



Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: F/M, Home Alone, Psychological, ghost story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-21
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28218210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NervousAliceCurious/pseuds/NervousAliceCurious
Summary: Mat doesn't believe in the supernatural, which is unfortunate for him because the rest of his town, does.With the help of a ghostly legend dictating strange events, will something be out there after all, or not?
Relationships: Mat/Steph
Comments: 5
Kudos: 5





	The Spirit

**Author's Note:**

> Cw: Brief food/eating mentions. The dark, eye trauma, old rituals mention. Some blood.

So it was a blue moon.

In his town, that meant bad business, but Mat wasn’t one to believe in old legends like that without proof.

The more cautious citizens, had already locked themselves and their families up for the night.

No lights, no movements at all.

-Well it wasn’t like he had a choice:

His bulbs had blown ages ago in a power outage.

He sighed. . .

‘Just got electricity back. How are you?’

‘I’m good-‘

His best friend, Ro.

‘Molly bought takeout’.

‘Lucky-‘

He sat at his table, with his toast, and cheese.

‘Save some for me?’

‘Of course!’

‘Thanks! I’ll come by later’.

‘-Wait, come tomorrow’, she said, ‘They say the Spirit will be out tonight’.

‘That’s just a superstition’, he politely challenged, ‘someone always thinks they see them, every year, and it always turns into a hoax’.

‘-Yeah, they’re still keeping an eye on Roi after he was tangled in the close line last time’.

‘I’ll never understand how he did it-‘

‘Teala says he rode down the ski jump on his motorcycle’.

‘…Okay then’.

‘Hehe-‘

The conversation paused. . . .

_I should call up Steph._

She’d been stuck in traffic for two, whole hours now.

Thankfully, the baby was home, but-

_Don’t want her to be ‘mistaken for Ghost’, or anything….._

-There was a loud BANG outside his window.

He jumped, let loose a few expletives-

‘Mat? What happened!?’

Ro’s panicked voice on the other end-

‘Nothing-‘

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and then peered through the window.

‘Just a tree branch. . .this wind is brutal, today’.

‘Oh yeah-‘

He could hear her visibly relax.

‘Nearly stole the hat right off my head earlier!!’

He smiled.

‘Well I’m glad you’re doing fine-‘

‘Signing away?’

‘Gotta see if Steph’s on her way back, yet’.

‘Oof…..I heard it was stuffed to the turnpike’.

‘Me too-‘

He sighed.

‘-And then I gotta check on Ollie’.

‘Ooh!’

Her simple exclamation belied a deeper worry.

‘Don’t let him from your sight, alright?’

‘I won’t’.

‘Hi, this is Stephanie…I can’t come to the line right now, but if you need me, leave a message at the Beep-‘

Beep!!

‘Hi, this is Mat…power’s finally back. Gonna be a late night with the kiddo-Don’t worry about dinner, I’ll get it’.

He grinned, wistfully. . . .

‘See you when you get home. Stay safe’.

. . . . . .Elsewhere, in another room, was their child: 1 yr. old Ollie.

He said something, a greeting, and waved his tiny hand.

“Hi…”

Mat scooped him up.

The lights flickered once, twice.

Then went out again.

“Aw, really?”

“Aw-“

Ollie pointed at the darkened bulb.

“Yeah…it’s a real bummer”.

He re-entered the dining room.

“It’ll be fine. . . . .they’re just thinking at the moment, that’s all….”

He settled himself into a chair.

46% left on the battery…

‘That should keep it from being too dark in here, for a little while. . . . . ‘

It was weird, though…

The only occasion power ever went kaput, was on this date.

Long ago, it was decreed, that when Everlock had first been settled, in order to assure prosperity forever, the Three Witch Founders sacrificed a young woman by ripped out her eyes.

Lied to, and entrapped under the Town Square (now covered by a statue of the previous Mayor), she swore to return for them every year. . .

And if she couldn’t find her own-

She’d take yours.

That, was why no one went outside on that date.

Pictures of her were unmistakable-

Wild, black hair, and a vivid-white, bloodstained dress.

No, there was just no way you could mistake her-

But no one had ever seen her, that was the problem…

That was his problem.

Except, one.

A woman who lived on the very outskirts of town, a very mysterious woman.

Her name, he did not know, practically no one did, and the New Mayor, had been trying to run her from her old, ramshackle hut, for years.

She was always talking to the stars.

Or something like that-

She said she’d seen her, floating slightly above the ground, and that if you did not want to die, you would stay indoors.

-The New Mayor, naturally, had called it all hogwash in black-and-white printing.

. . . .But people still stayed in anyway.

Not a person wanted to admit that they’d been frightened by her words.

He wondered why he was thinking of it now.

_Must be that branch. . .I don’t jump, easily-_

-A pounding.

_What-_

Ollie cried-

“Shh. . .shhhh-“

Thuds.

_Who the heck could that be?_

Steph wouldn’t bang on the door like the world was ending, unless. . .

_No way._

Ghosts didn’t exist.

-However, as he drew closer, he realized it couldn’t be Steph.

She would be calling his name.

_Then who’s there-_

. . .

THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD

He opened a cupboard, and took the tiny bat.

Ollie grabbed it-

“Ah, hold on-I need that-“

He gently set the child down behind the glazed monstrosity Mortimer had gotten him in the last Secret Santa exchange.

“Stay put, okay?

And then we can make Shadow Hands later”.

Ollie agreed-

_THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD_

Heart in his throat, Mat crept closer.

And closer-

The loud thumping behind his door grew louder-

**_THUDTHUDTHUDTHUDTHUD_ **

He clutched the bat in one hand, and his cell in the other.

_There’s no such thing as ghosts. . .there’s no such thing as ghosts-_

Hesitantly reaching out a hand-

He flung the thin piece of wood wide.

…

Nobody.

His shoulders relaxed.

_Hah. . .I knew it-_

Ollie poked his head from behind the pot.

_I knew it all the time._

He closed the door.

Made sure it was double-locked-

_There’s no such thing, as ghosts._

He went away to make some fruit salad.

If he’d looked through the peep hole at that exact moment, he would have seen a girl with bleeding eyes, thwarted by the screen, simply, fading off into nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> Lucky Mat didn't open the second door, huh?


End file.
